The scenario within the hilly districts of Rangamati and Khagrachhari remained tense on Saturday (21 September) as a 72-hour street and blockade halted long-distance transportation, following violent clashes erupted within the old two days that left four of us lifeless, over 50 injured, and outlets and houses space ablaze.
On Saturday, a heavy presence of the military, police, and other legislation enforcement officials used to be noticed at key junctions across the districts.
Participants of both ethnic minority and Bengali communities expressed anxiousness about leaving their homes, even for every day necessities, and called on the administration to rapidly restore yelp.
Within the meantime, forty-5 eminent voters and rights activists issued an announcement on Saturday on the distress tense investigation and suggested merely action against these to blame.
“We are deeply concerned and saddened by these incidents and the casualties. We condemn the violence,” they mentioned within the observation.
The blockade, which started at 6am on Saturday and likewise entails the hill district of Bandarban, used to be announced on Friday following clashes in Khagrachhari and Rangamati.
A platform named “Aggrieved Jumma Chhatra Janata” called the blockade to state incidents of assaults and arson, tense the punishment of the culprits.
Within the meantime, transport association leaders in Rangamati called for an indefinite strike initiating on Saturday to state the burning of CNG-depart auto-rickshaws at some stage within the long-established violence that left no lower than 4 lifeless and over 50 injured.
Which potential of the blockade, no passenger buses departed from Rangamati to Khagrachhari or Bandarban. Items transport autos and pickup autos had been also halted within the three districts.
Vehicles from Shanti Paribahan on the Chattogram-Khagrachhari route had been also grounded Saturday.
Nirnimesh Dewan, president of the Jeep Homeowners Association, instructed TBS, “Our autos characteristic from Khagrachhari to Chattogram and a spread of upazilas and villages in Khagrachhari. The service is closed as a result of blockade.”
Mizanur Rahman Babu, overall secretary of the Rangamati District Rickshaw Pullers Union, mentioned, “We are protesting against several points, including assaults and extortion on the roads. We are able to’t withdraw from the circulation unless our calls for are met.”
Three advisers – Dwelling Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, CHT Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma, and Native Authorities, Rural Pattern and Cooperatives Adviser Hasan Arif – met local political parties, transport leaders and a spread of organisations centring the rounds of violence in three hilly areas on Saturday.
Rangamati becomes a ghost metropolis
The dwelling from Kathaltali to the Stadium in Rangamati peaceable bears the scars of Friday’s violence, with damaged outlets, businesses, infrastructure, and autos scattered all around the hilly district metropolis.
The metropolis used to be surprisingly aloof on Saturday following the violence that left no lower than 1 individual lifeless and so much injured.
For the length of the violence, among the most affected establishments had been Rupali Monetary institution, Pubali Monetary institution, Shimanto Monetary institution branches, Regal Furniture showroom, and Rangamati Well-liked Diagnostic Centre.
No lower than seven autos belonging to the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council had been vandalised at some stage within the clashes.
Sumon Chakma, proprietor of Cooling Corner in Banrupa Bazar, instructed TBS, “My store had items worth Tk8 lakh. I would possibly perhaps now not place them.”
Saturday morning, virtually all outlets in Rangamati metropolis had been closed, autos remained halted, and the streets had been noticeably empty. Diverse resorts, outlets, and businesses in Banrupa had been shut down, as had been establishments alongside Rajbari Boulevard, Faculty Boulevard, and within the dwelling across the Deputy Commissioner’s Discipline of job.
Sushil Prasad Chakma, president of the Rangamati Journalists Solidarity, instructed TBS that some journalists’ autos had been space on fire at some stage in Friday’s violence. These concerns had been raised with advisers, including the dwelling affairs adviser, at a gathering held on Saturday on the Rangamati cantonment.
“Now we comprise requested legislation enforcement officers to abet journalists in conducting their official duties,” he mentioned.
Basically based mostly on local sources, on Friday morning, primarily based mostly entirely on Thursday’s clashes between ethnic minorities and settler Bengalis in Dighinala, Khagrachari, local college students staged a state march in Rangamati.
As the procession reached the Bonorupa market, rumours and rigidity unfold all around the metropolis, creating scare among residents. At one point clashes broke out between Bengalis and ethnic communities in Rangmati too.
On Wednesday, a man named Md Mamun used to be reportedly beaten to death on suspicion of theft in Khagrachhari.
Over the incident, clashes on Thursday and at one point and miscreants space fire to about 50 outlets in Larma Sq. in Dighinala upazila.
Later at evening, shootings had been reported within the Narankhaiya dwelling of Khagrachhari sadar.
The incidents resulted in heightened tensions and heavy legislation enforcement deployment in both areas. Amid deteriorating scenario, local administrations imposed Allotment 144 within the 2 districts.
Ruin to Maitri Vihar estimated at Tk30 lakh
The monks in fee of Dakshin Kalindipur Maitri Vihar in Rangamati’s Kathaltali dwelling reported that Friday’s assault by miscreants triggered over Tk30 lakh in hurt.
They acknowledged that a community of 50-60 attackers broke into the Vihar spherical midday, vandalising donation containers, chairs, tables, furnishings, and souvenirs.
Nandasara Bhikkhu mentioned the attackers also looted about Tk15 lakh in cash, including funds from the donation field.
“We depart the authorities to habits a gorgeous investigation and develop certain that the culprits are dropped at justice,” he mentioned.
Rapid merely action demanded
Within the observation of effectively-known voters and activists, it used to be demanded that a gorgeous, just, transparent, and excessive-level investigation into the violence in Khagrachhari and Rangamati, as effectively as bringing to guide these to blame.
Regarding the casualties of the July riot at some stage within the student-led mass protests, the voters mentioned, “If the identical incident is repeated within the hills and no longer effectively investigated and prosecuted, this would possibly perhaps well very effectively be idea to be as a shame to the ‘recent Bangladesh’ accomplished by the blood and sacrifice of the college students.”
Incidentally, the observation added, it ought to be eminent that such incidents of violence are no longer the principle within the hill tracts. “We know of many conditions of such clashes, violence and casualties within the previous few many years, including the sizzling previous.”
Radical replace within the governance machine and construction of the Chittagong Hill Tracts is important and the governance construction ought to be restructured as per the Chittagong Hill Tracts Treaty, 1997, the voters mentioned.
Deployment of the military in these areas, overall security and protection of human rights had been also called for.
One of the significant significant famous signatories within the observation consist of – Sultana Kamal, human rights activist and outdated adviser to the caretaker authorities; Prof Anu Muhammad, Democratic Rights Committee member; Khushi Kabir, girls folks’s rights circulation chief and human rights activist; Rasheda K Chowdhury, outdated adviser to caretaker authorities; Dr Iftekharuzzaman, TIB govt director; and Subrata Chowdhury, senior imply of the Supreme Court.
The CHT Rate and World Work Crew for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) also expressed deep distress over the ongoing violence within the hilly districts.
In a joint observation on 20 September, the organisations mentioned, “Without any real investigation, Bangalis placed the blame on the Jummo community, despite the officer-in-fee of Khagrachari Police Plight stating a particular myth. Using this as a pretext, Bangalis launched violent assaults on Jummo contributors in Dighinala upazila, Khagrachari, and space their properties ablaze.”
